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The Middle East-Europe Forum with themes on water, renewable energies, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and Urban Issues started its programs on 19 October 2018 with an Opening Ceremony in the presence of a great number of foreign and Iranian participants from the Europe and Middle East countries.

Technical expertise, professionalism and being responsible, secrets to the staff success

The center’s secretary

The Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center is truly blessed with a valuable and efficient staff that our dear country does take pride in. This is because every single employee’s activities and goals are contributions to the health sector and their opinions and their expertise all matter to decision-making processes in different sectors of health in the country.

We are going to introduce one of the specialists in the center to our journal’s readers and familiarize them with her specialist viewpoints, expertise knowledge and her invaluable experience. Subsequently, in a journalistic act, we are going to introduce other researchers and specialists of the center and further present the achievements of this center, as a scientific pivot of the health sector in the country.

What follows is an interview with Dr. Nazila Rezayee:

Introduce yourself please.

I am Nazial Rezayee, born in Babol, the city of bitter orange, in Mazandaran, the greenest province of Iran. My husband is also a physician and a faculty member. We have a child. I received my medical degree from Babol’s University of Medical Sciences in the year 1379 (2000).

Please tell us about specialist degrees you have done other than the academic ones.

I have passed a diabetes training course in Tehran University of Medical Sciences and so I have the permission to do therapeutic work as a diabetes doctor now. I also did a degree in blood diseases and cancer and worked as a blood and cancer registrar for 11 years, doing therapeutic and research work.

How did you join this center?

The beginning of my cooperation goes back to the year 1392. As I had been working as a researcher in the field of blood diseases and cancer, I handed in my resume to the chairman of the Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center and included some of my research work, which fortunately was accepted by him and I was transferred from Kurdistan’s University of Medical Sciences to this center.

Please tell us a brief history of your research and specialist work before joining the center.

I was a resident in Fatemeh Zahra Specialist Hospital of Infertility, Babol University of Medical Sciences as a researcher in the field of infertility for two years and had a few articles published with the help of gynecologist professors of that center. After my residentship period, I worked as a blood and oncology registrar for Shafa Specialist Hospital, Jondi Shapour University of Medical Sciences in Ahvaz from 1382 to 1385 and then I did research and therapeutical work for Besat Hospital, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences and I have had several articles published with the help of blood and oncology professors. Also, in Besat hospital in Sanandaj, I was the head of the Special Diseases Ward (thalassemia, Hemophilia), the head of the Death Rate Committee, the panel physician of Kurdistan Province and I was also a member of the Clinical Governance Committee.

What is your current responsibility in the center?

As the chairman has decided, I am now working as the secretary and as the executive manager of the center.

Could you please list some of the center’s projects under your supervision?

Iranians’ Health Smart Interferences (MAHSA)

This project was first designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the e-Health project before being implemented at the infra-National level. Therefore, conducting a study on the utilization of health services seemed necessary. There was a demand for valid data on different aspects of utilization of health services for a rational planning and evaluation of health and clinical services. Without this data, we can only have a subjective planning for health services, which can lead to cost-ineffectiveness. Valid utilization data can provide useful information on general utility rates of health services in the community and also gives us information about who uses what kind of health service and where, how much, what for and at what cost he/she receives this service. Correct analysis of this data can be of great help to policy makers, managers, planners and providers in the health sector.

Saqqez Health Scheme

This project was implemented to achieve the defined goals for the health system using the current facilities and up-to-date knowledge available in the country with the purpose of “finding a solution to challenges and to achieve the best level of health, life quality and equity-based health”. In implementing this scheme, we are loyal to the principles of the health system, that is, work which is based on PHC and decreasing the expenses paid out of the people’s pocket. Establishing the reference system is also a priority. In this project, we have used the opinions of the elite and experienced professionals in the health system, following these objectives: elevating the health status items such as life expectancy, decreasing the number of diseases and the death rates, increasing the utilization rate of comprehensive health care services for all, decreasing expenses paid out of people’s pocket and other immense expenses, improving the quality of health care, decreasing inequity, increasing public satisfaction and improving reference paths.

Telematics Project

A solution to reduce accidents on the roads is using telematics, which is an effective way to make a change in drivers’ behavior, public health, health expenses as well as the environment. This will be the first time that this project is going to be implemented in Iran.

IQCAMP Project

This is a national project to measure health care value, which studies quality in relation to cost for a series of common diseases which impose a high burden and cost to the population in Iran. These diseases are myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, diabetes, brain stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, end-stage kidney diseases and depression.

Are you satisfied with the development of the projects under your supervision?

Regarding the available facilities and the current achievements and development of the projects, I can say that the process is satisfactory.

What special features and qualities do you think the center’s staff must have to be able to fulfil the delegated duties in the best way and according to the defined objectives?

Having technical expertise, being responsible and professional are the best qualities.

As a majority of the staff is young, what recommendations do you have for them so that they will be more successful in their career?

Besides the qualities previously mentioned, they also need to be hardworking, determined, organized, disciplined, and conscientious they must also have professional values.

To your mind, what impressive achievements has our country had in the health sector and what role has this center had or will have in this path?

Some effective measures of this center include finalizing Iran’s Burden of Disease Project, cooperating in the compilation of Non-Communicable Diseases Document, conducting the national survey of non-communicable diseases (the year 1395) and defining and conducting numerous research projects in the field of non-communicable diseases.

Based on your experience, what is your point of view about the role of family and its place? Also, as you are employed, how have you managed to have a family too? And how do these facts affect each other in your life?

As my husband is also a physician, we have always had the same conditions and have cooperated with each other so we have always shared the responsibilities and managed to solve the problems together in the best way. We haven’t had a serious problem in our life.

We appreciate the time you gave us and we hope the best for you and your family.

Deputy to Management and Human Resources Development and Chairman of the Budget and Performance Monitoring Center of the Ministry of Health appreciated the center’s achievements

Dr. Sadr-o-Sadat, Deputy to Management and Human Resources Development of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and Dr. Masoud Abolhallaj, Chairman of the Budget and Performance Monitoring Center of the Ministry of Health visited the Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences on Tir 26th, 1396 (July 17th, 2017).

During this visit, the chairman of the Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences gave a comprehensive report of the history of the center’s activities as well as its current ones, namely Social Workers’ Study Scheme, STEPs, IQCAMP, Telematics and other schemes along with a short description of their specific features respectively.

Mentioning the center’s vast international interactions and cooperation with credible universities and leading researchers as some of its distinguished features, Dr. Farzadfar further noted that the center pursues three major activities; first, health measurement; second, evaluating the performance of the health system; and third, providing policy- makers with solutions to enhance and strengthen the health system.

After expressing his gratitude for the effective measures of the Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Dr. Sadr-o-Sadat further appreciated the center’s achievements, specifically the “Atlas of Disease Burden”, which he mentioned can be cited as a national document and which plays a determining role in the country’s health system.

He cited the center’s accomplishments as very “valuable” and hoped for future cooperation.

Dr. Sadr-o-Sadat welcomed the accomplished measures in the Hospital Beds Estimate Project and further explained that “the accurate studies conducted in the Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center can greatly contribute to the other primary estimates in this area and can more accurately support the Health Ministry in its goal to expand the Capacity of hospital beds.

During this visit, Dr. Abolhallaj also appreciated the center’s accomplishments, specifically in the “Atlas of Disease Burden” project, which he mentioned has greatly helped the Budget and Performance Monitoring Center of the Ministry of Health. He also expressed that the development in the health sector has been “exceptional” compared to other sectors. Mentioning the young force in the financial and budget sector, he went on to explain that “today there is a good opportunity for the youths to focus on serving and efficiency so that we can fully conduct the country’s vital research topics using the invaluable potentials of this center and other centers in the nation, whose results can finally be used in macro-scale development of the country and in developing useful schemes”.

Further in this friendly meeting, the guests visited the center’s bio-bank and its laboratory and closely observed the process of research activities in the center’s lab department. They also learned about the sampling method and the way the samples are sent.

Results of research in the Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center show

Respiratory diseases with 11.32 percent, and gastric cancer with 1.38 percent, are respectively the most and least significant causes of death among the top five causes of death in Tehran, which are ischemic heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, hypertension, gastric cancer and respiratory diseases.